Crossing the Line
by carolinagirl919
Summary: What happens when the pull is too strong to resist? Cookie x Malcolm pairing.
1. May I Have A Word?

Malcolm knew what he had to do. What he didn't know was how she would take it. She'd been on his mind and had stayed in his thoughts from the moment they met. Cookie was a woman that left an impression on you and it was one you'd never forget.

He could easily dismiss the initial flirtation from her. In his line of work, he'd dealt with that before. Wives of high-end, wealthy clients who were lonely, and seeking the attention and affection they weren't getting from the men they loved. He had never crossed the line then, and it was easy to do. He'd remained professional and had rebuffed their proposals with tact and discretion.

This time it wasn't easy.

This time, it was hard to stay away.

There was something about Cookie that drew him to her. She was beautiful, brash, outspoken, protective, funny, and loyal. She was also temperamental and impatient. She was a woman who stood up for and stood with the people she loved and heaven help anyone who got in their way.

She was always thoughtful. Stopping by to drop off a cup of coffee in the morning. Coming by in the afternoon to discuss things she noticed about some of the employees at Empire. Who to watch more carefully, who she didn't trust. She'd shown an interest in him beyond shallow flirtation and had pulled him into her circle. He'd gained her trust over time and in return she'd gained his affection.

However, he had always remained professional and maintained the proper amount of distance. She wasn't his.

Lucious was a fool.

If Malcolm had a woman like that by his side, he'd never let her go. He would love and cherish her the way she deserved. He was getting in way too deep with this and it was time to nip it in the bud. Malcolm wasn't going to break the code.

He knocked on the door to Cookie's office before entering. She looked up at him expectantly and suddenly he was unsure of what to say. He took a quick breath, gathered his wits, and spoke his mind instead of his heart.

"May I have a word?"


	2. A Sudden Change of Events

Even though it was early in the afternoon, Cookie had already had a hell of a day. Seeing her eldest son in the state he was in wasn't something she was prepared for. He was barely responsive and whenever he did speak, it felt so cold, hollow even, reducing her to tears and exposing another layer of vulnerability when she knew she needed to be a pillar of strength for her son.

She'd made the decision then and there to find out as much as she could about his illness, this... bi-polar disorder. She may not have been there for him when he was first diagnosed, but now that she knew about it, she was going to do everything she could to support Andre and be there for him.

She had to be the support that he would never truly receive from his father. She frowned at the thought of her ex-husband. After they'd left the facility, she had called Lucious again about his refusal to join the family and be there to support Andre. Lucious was selfish, controlling, dishonest, manipulative, and insensitive. If it wasn't about him, if he couldn't benefit from it, or if he couldn't control it, he would dismiss it. Or worse, toss it out like yesterday's trash, figuratively _and_ literally.

She sighed and focused her attention once more on the article about bi-polar disorder, reading about how genetic and even external factors such as long-term stress and even childhood abuse could play a role in causing the illness.

_What did you do to my baby, Lucious? _she thought despondently.

There was a knock on the door, and she couldn't lie and say she didn't welcome the interruption. Things were getting too heavy for her emotionally and she needed the distraction, whatever it was and however brief it might be.

"Come in."

She looked up to find Malcolm Devoe almost hesitantly walking into her office, quietly closing the door behind him.

"May I have a word?"

Cookie felt a sense of unease about his tone. Sure, he was serious most of the time, but it was usually because he always maintained a high level of professionalism. Over time, she had managed to get him to loosen up a bit, and even got him to crack a smile or two on occasion. She would sometimes catch him watching at her when he thought she wasn't looking. He looked at her with an intense desire, as if she was everything he wanted.

She couldn't remember the last time a man looked at her like that. Not Puma, who she felt had a silly crush, and not even her ex-husband who claimed to still love her. The man who claimed that he was always looking for her in the other women he messed around with. The man who claimed that she was still the only one for him, but turned around and chose that traitorous, fake ass Dorothy Dandridge over her.

But his tone was beyond his regular seriousness and bordered on being solemn. What was it that was so important that Malcolm came to her office to have a "word" with her?

"Uh oh, did I violate some top secret super classified security code?" she joked, hoping to lighten the mood. After a morning like she'd had, she wasn't sure how much more bad news she could deal with.

"No, I'm the one that violated the code. My own personal code of conduct. And that's a problem," he replied.

Yep, this was definitely going to be more bad news. She inwardly sighed. "Yeah, well I'm sure you know I got a nasty rap sheet, so I'm not really one to judge," she said almost dismissively, looking back towards her computer, but not really reading any of the words on the screen.

"Well, I've been disloyal to my commander... by falling for his wife..." _That_ got her attention. She looked back up from her screen, never expecting the conversation to take this turn. She sat back in her chair with a slight smile and watched as he made every effort not to stumble over his words, his posture nearly rigid. "That is a serious breach of every pledge I've ever sworn. So I hope you understand that I will be keeping my distance... and... I didn't want you to think that I wasn't—you know—around... Yeah..."

Cookie was floored. Yeah, she'd seen the looks, he gave her when he thought she wasn't looking, but the flirting was always one-sided. She never thought he'd really make a move, even if it was moving in the opposite direction to distance himself from her. And that was something she knew she didn't want.

"Um, wait." She stood up and moved around her desk to stop him from leaving. "Are you saying you're falling for me?" She almost couldn't believe it, but wanted it to be true.

"I'm saying that, I can't stop thinking about you, and I'm sorry if I overstepped." He turned once more and nearly reached the door to leave before she called out for him again.

"Malcolm."

He paused and slowly turned back to face her. She found herself drawn to him and without thinking, she moved closer to him slow and easy, stopping directly in front of him. There was a noticeable shift in the air and the tension between them was thick. She was close enough that if he wanted her, he could have her. He only had step forward and their bodies would nearly touch.

He didn't move an inch.

He wasn't going to make the first move. Malcolm was going to be "noble" and walk away. She didn't want that. She didn't want him to walk away. She was tired of people walking away from her. She wanted him to fight for her. She looked in his eyes and saw the same intensity and wanting there that he thought he'd kept hidden from her many times before. She looked down from his eyes to his lips and back again.

Stepping forward, she decided to take the lead and kissed him. The kiss started languidly, as she slid her hands up his arms, over his broad shoulders and cupped his face. He'd kissed her back, but he hadn't touched her, leaving her feeling unsure.

She looked up at him after ending the kiss, feeling a small spark light up inside her. It was like a slow burn, and she wanted to know what he could do to her to stroke those flames. "You wanna leave?" she asked.

"You want me to?" he replied huskily, his voice so deep it sent a small chill down her spine.

"No."

It was like a switch had been turned on. He moved quickly, reaching for her waist and pulling her to him before capturing her lips possessively with more fervor than before. The temperature in the room seemed to increase tenfold as he turned her body and backed her into the wall, pressing his body against her and letting her feel what she did to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with everything in her.

He started a trail from her lips to her ear and down to the sweet spot at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Her breath hitched in her throat as his hands moved up from her waist and over her ribcage to rest under her breasts. She arched her back off the wall, pressing her body further into him, that slow burn inside her now beginning to blaze with heated intensity.

He found her lips once more, sucking on her bottom lip before he bit down gently, earning a soft moan. His lips were like heated silk on hers, sinfully erotic and smooth. At the gentle nudge of his tongue she parted her lips, sighing as he delved deep, suckling her tongue. His hands moved slightly higher, cupping her breasts before his fingers moved over her nipples, erect and pressing through the fabric of her dress. She gasped at the sensation and she felt a flush of heat rush straight to her core.

Sliding her left hand down from his shoulder, she blindly reached back for the door behind her and turned the lock on the knob. They wouldn't be disturbed.


	3. Lust Interrupted

The one thing Malcolm prided himself on was his ability to maintain control and stay calm under pressure. What was happening now was the very opposite of staying in control. He was falling. He was falling and he didn't care. One taste of her lips on his was his breaking point.

He tried. He'd really tried to walk away, and he still could have, but he knew that was a pipe dream. When Cookie slowly sauntered over to him and kissed him, it took every ounce of self-control to keep his hands off her. But, he wasn't made of steel. He could keep his hands off her, but there was no way he could keep from kissing her back. Her lips were soft and full, her kiss curious and searching. What she was searching for, he knew, but the best thing for both of them was to end this now and for him to walk out that door.

"You wanna leave?" she asked him, her voice lower, not quite sounding like her own.

This was it. This was his out. _Just say yes and leave_, his conscious screamed at him. "You want me to?" he asked, knowing the answer but putting the ball back in her court.

If she said yes, he would walk away and this charged moment between them would eventually fade into a pleasant memory with time and much needed distance away from her. But if Cookie said no, if she didn't want him to leave, if she wanted this as much as he did...

"No."

Malcolm didn't think after that, he only felt and acted on instinct. He didn't care about professionalism nor did he care about proper conduct. He didn't care that he was crossing a very hard-drawn line. He no longer gave a damn about his unwarranted sense of loyalty towards Lucious Lyon as an employer. Every emotion he refused to act on, everything he denied himself was now available for the taking.

He touched the curves that he'd admired from afar. He kissed with the passion that he'd held in. He wanted her to feel what he felt, rules be damned. With every sigh, every gasp, each moan he wanted her more. So lost in her, he hadn't realized that they were pressed against the wall next to her door until he heard the soft click of the lock she turned on the knob.

Malcolm couldn't keep his hands in one place for too long, wanting to feel every part of her, wanting to worship every curve of her body. He moved his hands down from her breasts and gripped her hips. She unbuttoned his jacket ran her hands up his chest to push the jacket off his shoulders. He didn't want to take his hands off her, but she clearly wanted the jacket off. Never taking his lips off hers, he released her momentarily allowing the blazer to fall off his solid frame and onto the floor.

He licked her bottom lip, encouraging her to allow him in to deepen the kiss, and she obliged. He greedily took in the taste of her as their tongues moved over the other, teasing, tasting, searching. He pressed his body into hers, letting her feel what she was doing to him. She moaned and kissed him roughly, sliding her hand down to the bulge in his pants.

Urged by her boldness, he dropped his hands and reached for her round, plush backside, giving it a light squeeze. He moved his hands down a little further and gripped the fabric of her dress, bunching it upwards to reveal more of her legs. Legs he wanted wrapped around him. Breaking their kiss to go back to the sensitive spot on her neck, he ran his hands along the back of her thighs. He lifted her and she wrapped her long legs around his waist as her dress went up even further.

"Desk," she said breathlessly with a moan as she ground her center against his erection.

He barely bit back a groan from her movements. Making sure his hold on her was sturdy, he walked over to her desk and sat her at the end. Grabbing a fistful of his shirt, she pulled him down to meet her lips for another heated kiss.

Neither of them heard the first knock on her door when she reached down to unbuckle his belt and lower his zipper. Neither of them heard the second knock on her door when her hand slipped beneath the elastic waistband of his boxer briefs to wrap around his hardness. It was the third knock, along with a loud voice filled with impatience from the other side of the door, that was the proverbial bucket of ice water for the two of them.

"Cookie! You in there? Come on, we gon' be late to the studio. Tiana's working on her new single today and she wanted you there... Cookie?"

Malcolm could feel her body tense under him. "Okay Porsha, I'm coming! Well, I was about to," she ended with a quiet mutter that only he could hear. They both shared a muted laugh. "Just give me a minute, I'll meet you there and let Tiana know I'm on my way."

There was a moment of hesitation before Porsha replied with a skeptical, "Aiight..."

Once he heard her heeled footsteps walking away from the door, he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. Speaking of holding...

"You, um... wanna let me go?" he asked with a smirk.

Cookie slowly moved her hand up and down, stroking his hardness. "You want me to?" she asked saucily, mirroring his earlier question.

He leaned forward for another heated kiss and grabbed her wrist to pull her hand out of his pants. "In different circumstances, I'd say no. But we know this isn't the right time or the place for this."

She sighed and pouted as she slid down from the desk, adjusting the hem of her dress. "That's too bad." As he adjusted himself and redid his pants, he watched her saunter towards the door where his abandoned jacket lay. "But you're right." She picked up his jacket from the floor. "Can I see you tonight?" she asked.

Malcolm walked over to her and put his jacket on, while Cookie brushed non-existent lint off his shoulders and straightened his lapels. "That can be arranged."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him for one last kiss, soft, sweet, and filled with promise. Looking up at him through her eyelashes with a playful smile, she said, "Okay, now get outta here before I change my mind and won't let you leave."

He chuckled before kissing her on the forehead and walked out of her office. He looked up and down the hallway, thankful that no one was around to see him leaving her office.


End file.
